4 FanDuel Stacks to Target in Week 13

Stacking in daily fantasy football on FanDuel is a key strategy and a way to shoot for upside. There are a few different ways to correlate lineups that can help us maximize our ceiling.

The classic stack is a quarterback with one of his pass-catchers. Sometimes, it makes sense to use two pass catchers with their signal-caller, especially when the target share is concentrated around two players.

In other situations, we can pair a running back and a defense on the same team. This makes sense when a team is a huge favorite and expected to dominate, which can lead to carries for the back and chances for sacks and turnovers for the D/ST. We also can look to deploy a game stack -- rostering a QB, one of his pass-catchers, and a pass-catcher from the other team. Game stacks can work best in matchups that have high totals and close spreads.

Our Brandon Gdula did a study on stacking that is worth checking out before you make your lineups.

Here are four of the best stacks to zero in on in NFL DFS for this week's main slate.

Miami Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa ($8,400), Tyreek Hill ($10,000), and Jaylen Waddle ($7,800)

The Miami Dolphins double stack is the premium stack of the NFL season. As a team, they are averaging 30.8 points per game, the second-most in the league.

Their may be some sticker shock associated with the salary of Tyreek Hill, but he's certainly earned it. He is the WR1 and averages nearly three half-PPR points per game more than the WR2.

We haven't seen a big game from Tua Tagovailoa in a while, but he's certainly capable of having them. He's gotten a bit unlucky with the touchdown distribution for Miami; they average 1.7 rushing TDs per game despite having the 10th-highest pass rate over expectation. Early in the season, saw Tua erupt for two games above 28 FanDuel points.

Jaylen Waddle had one of his best games of the season last week. He caught all eight of his targets for 114 yards. It was his second 100-yard game in his last four, showing signs that he is getting past the injury that hampered him early in the season.

Miami will face the Washington Commanders in a matchup that has been one to target all season long. Washington ranks dead last in numberFire's schedule-adjusted pass-defense metrics.

The Dolphins have the highest implied team total on this slate (29.5 points), and if things break right, this stack could score all the touchdowns. If that's the case, it's hard to imagine it not being the best stack on the slate.

San Francisco 49ers

Brock Purdy ($7,800) and George Kittle ($7,400)

The San Francisco 49ers are one of the best teams in the NFL, but not a team that we like to stack often. That's because they have so many good offensive weapons that it's hard to pinpoint which one will be the best. One matchup stands out above the rest this week.

Brock Purdy had his doubters coming into the season -- in both real life and in fantasy. He's proven himself to be pretty effective in each. For fantasy purposes, he's averaging more points per game than Tua, Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence.

Purdy has been described as the point guard who just feeds the ball to his elite pass catchers. That doesn't really matter for us if he still produces the results.

It would make sense for Purdy to target George Kittle in this game. Kittle is always a great GPP option because of his feast-or-famine nature. He has four games with over 18 FanDuel points but also five games with under five points. The matchup could dictate that he'll be on the high side of that this week.

The Niners are traveling to the east coast to play the Philadelphia Eagles. It may seem like a tough matchup, but Philly's pass defense isn't as good this season as in the past few years. Specifically against tight ends, they're 29th in adjusted fantasy points allowed per target.

The Eagles might be able to limit Christian McCaffrey in the passing game. They allow the fewest adjusted fantasy points per target against running backs. Hopefully, if we're using this stack, those targets will go to Kittle instead.

San Francisco's implied team total is 25.0 points. Kittle is more capable of having big games than most tight ends, and given the matchup and the implied team total, he could have one of those monster games this week.

Indianapolis Colts

Gardner Minshew ($6,800), Michael Pittman ($7,900), and Josh Downs ($6,100)

Let's get weird with our third stack. The Indianapolis Colts don't exactly have the most exciting passing attack in the NFL, but this spot makes a lot of sense to turn to them.

Gardner Minshew took over as the Colts' starting quarterback in Week 5. The results for fantasy haven't been amazing, but he did have a 28.1-point game in Week 7 that landed him as the QB3. He can distribute the ball to his solid receiving options, which is what we need from him.

Michael Pittman Jr. is definitely the alpha receiver for Indianapolis. He has seen at least a 31% target share in each of the last four games (via PFF). He's also seen 33% of the team's end zone targets over the course of the season.

Rookie receiver Josh Downs has impressed this season and returned to a 32% target share last week. In the previous two games, he was dealing with an injury that slowed him down but now is fully good to go. Downs had four straight weeks of double-digit fantasy points, which would be good enough at this low salary.

Indy will be without Jonathan Taylor in this game. This could cause them to lean into the passing game a bit more, and the matchup could call for that, as well.

The Colts will play the Tennessee Titans this Sunday. The Titans are a classic pass-funnel defense. They rank as the 5th-best team against the run but 30th against the pass, according to numberFire's metrics.

If ever there was a game for Indy to go pass-heavy, this is it. This stack likely won't be popular, but we could see them have success. Minshew is capable of scoring rushing touchdowns, too, which adds to his upside.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Rachaad White ($7,500) and Tampa Bay D/ST ($4,800)

The last stack for this week will be an RB and D/ST from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that should make sense.

Rachaad White is not the most efficient running back in the league, but he has a great role that allows him to be useful for fantasy. He's third in the league in catches for RBs (43), and he's also seen 73.5% of the team's red zone rushing attempts.

That opportunity should pay off this week against the Carolina Panthers. Carolina has the worst rush defense in the NFL, per numberFire. They also allow the most adjusted fantasy points per carry in the NFL.

Tampa's defense should be able to score some fantasy points, as well. They'll face rookie QB Bryce Young, who has yet to set the world on fire. He's thrown 8 interceptions in 10 games and also has taken sacks at a 10.3% clip. That's the fifth-highest rate among qualified QBs this season.

The Bucs should be able to control the ball and have White melt the clock away late in the game. His ability to earn targets and his role in the red zone also add to his value. Both he and the defense are set up for success on Sunday.

Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.